I've done the military (17yrs) and currently working the North Sea for Oil & Gas. Both are great jobs and enjoyable/challenging in different ways. There is a huge amount of bolleaux
spouted about working the North Sea (including by some notable, or not so, posters on here) and from the perspective of someone who is doing it right now, rather than someone who has never flown here, it's a damn good job with far more upsides than downsides.
Don't let the naysayers and bitter old twunts put you off. Just about any job in aviation beats sitting in an office somewhere wishing you had got that CPL after all